BAFTA, film director Asif Kapadia (Amy, Senna, docu-fiction thriller 2073), TV host Reggie Yates (Reggie Yates: Extreme Russia, Reggie Yates: Insider), advocacy organization We Are Doc Women, and British luxury menswear house Dunhill are partnering on a BAFTA Elevate program to accelerate the careers of up to 20 mid-senior level creatives making documentary and specialist factual TV content and feature films.
Qualitative research conducted by BAFTA reveals “a narrowing of opportunity that risks diminishing the range of stories brought to our screens and those who get to deliver them,” the British academy said. “Designed in response to these findings, BAFTA and Dunhill today issue a call out for applications from development producers, producers, directors and producer directors from underrepresented groups within the industry including those from minority ethnic, disabled and/or low socio-economic backgrounds. Tapping into BAFTA’s unique community of 12,000 creative practitioners, BAFTA will offer networking and industry exposure alongside a host of wider knowledge-building and focused professional development over two years.”
Said BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip: “BAFTA has a mission to level the playing field for those in society who face barriers and bias in pursuit of a career in the screen industries. BAFTA Elevate provides opportunity for the voices held back by inequality and encourages people from underrepresented groups to share their stories, and in so doing, enrich our cultural landscape.”
Kapadia said: “In many ways, I have often felt like an outsider within the U.K., within education, within the film industry. But I always tried to use this as an advantage, I speak more than one language, I have grown up with an understanding and respect of different cultures, customs, faiths, ways of thinking.”
He added: “Through my work, I been fortunate to travel the world. I use all this experience in my work. I hope BAFTA Elevate can give people with stories like mine the agency, profile and backing to be an outsider but be on the inside – our experience makes us special, that’s our superpower. To use what makes us unique to tell stories which emotionally engage, and maybe change the way people think and behave.”
Added Yates: “The most powerful documentaries are those that offer a window into the lives of people, events, and perspectives we might not have connected with otherwise – we need different voices and fresh perspectives so we’re not just recycling the same old stories. That’s why it’s heartening to see BAFTA and Dunhill throw their weight behind a new generation of underrepresented voices in the documentary sector who despite their talents and their brilliant ideas are being held back by a lack of insider knowledge, industry connections and confidence.”
